Water activities

Hit the beach

With its pure white sand, the 1.8km long Primrose Sands beach is a wonderful location to relax, play, and enjoy the seaside. According to Beach Safe it has a low hazard rating of 3 out of 10. At low tide the beach is up to 50 metres wide meaning there is plenty of room to stretch out or take on the kids in a spot of beach cricket.

At either end of the beach is a rocky foreshore that is ideal for exploring and searching for sea life. The beach is ideal for swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and boogie boarding on occasions. If you have a kayak or boogie board we recommend you bring it with you (there are a couple available at The Beach Escape).

Whilst on the beach you may also see dolphins playing just off shore, hang gliders launching off the sand dunes and hovering overhead, and soldier crabs scurrying to the water as the tide changes. And if you are really lucky, you may even see a whale resting just off the beach with her calf.

Explore the foreshore

The foreshore below The Beach Escape has a treasure trove of sea life just waiting to be found in the numerous rock pools that appear as the tide goes out. Kids will love exploring the rock pools, uncovering crabs, starfish, sea urchins and maybe even an octopus! Keep an eye out for information sheets at The Beach Escape that will help you identify sea creatures living on the foreshore.

Boating

If you have a boat and wish to bring it to The Beach Escape, there is plenty of space at the front of the property to park it (note however that this is about 10 metres from the road and there is no fence). The waters around Primrose Sands / Gypsy Bay are generally relatively sheltered depending on the prevailing wind direction, and it is a popular area with boats / recreational fisherman.

If you are looking to hit the water then there are two options for launching water craft:

• the MAST maintained boat ramp at Gypsy bay that caters for small to large boats, and features a concrete ramp and a long jetty to tie up against
• directly from Primrose Sands beach (not really suitable for speed boats - catamarans and small dingy's only). There is the possibility of getting stuck in the sand with this option.

As always we would advise you to research the area and check the weather before heading out. In general the morning is normally the more advisable time to head out, as the afternoon can bring with it the sea breeze that can cause the water to become choppy.

Fishing

Looking to catch dinner? Well head on down to the beach or launch your boat and test your luck!

From the foreshore

From directly below The Beach Escape, just around from the corner of the beach, you can cast off the rocks and land a flathead or salmon whilst the family is 100 metres away living it up on the beach. Alternatively, approximately 5 minutes drive away, you can fish off the jetty at Gypsy Bay where you may land a salmon or barracuda. If you wish to travel further afield, you can drive 20 mins to the mouth of the Carlton river which often sees salmon and flathead landed.

From a boat

If you are out in a boat, flathead are readily available in Primrose Sands bay and generally any area. If you wish to head further out towards Frederick Henry bay or Slopen Island then you may be able to hook a snapper or king fish.

We also recommend you install the Tasmanian Sea Fishing Guide (available for both Android and iPhone). This is a great source of information regarding the fish you might catch, the size limits and helping you identify what you have caught (please see further information section).

Fishing charter

If you are interested in fishing however don't have a boat, there are some fishing charters near by that can take you out. Please see the further information section for links to their websites.

Snorkelling

If you would like to go snorkelling, The Beach Escape is ideally located to let you indulge in the activity. Bring your snorkelling gear, and then you only need to walk for 3 mins down to the foreshore where you can dive in off the rocks and snorkel around the foreshore exploring the rocky bottom watching the sea life pass by. If you don't want to enter the water off the rocks, you can enter the water from the beach and swim 50 metres to where the rocky bottom starts.